Ill Wind For Favorites But Not For Lyons Sprinter

May 19, 1986|By Tim Tierney, Chicago Tribune.

CHARLESTON, ILL. — Lisa Chess of South Shore or Anice Noble of Dunbar would win the 100-meter dash. That was the talk Friday and Saturday during the girls` state track meet at Eastern Illinois University.

In fact, that had been the talk for quite a while, not just last weekend. South Shore`s Lena Roberts was also a possibility, but Roberts dropped out of the running Friday after she false-started in her preliminary heat.

So, it looked like Chess, the defending state champion in the 200, or Noble, who ran an 11.8-second time at sectionals, would win. It seemed like a reasonable assumption.

Samantha Caffey, a senior from Lyons Township, wasn`t considered a favorite. She had run the 100 in 11.8 in an invitational at Glenbard South earlier this month, but her time at sectionals was 12.2. There were eight girls with better sectional times going into Friday`s preliminaries. Caffey wouldn`t win.

But when the final was run, no one could beat Caffey. The wind that blew across the eight-lane track, disturbing the strides of tiny sprinters like Chess and Noble, didn`t throw Caffey off stride.

On a day that East St. Louis Lincoln easily won its fifth straight state team title and its eighth in the last nine years, the softspoken Caffey won the 100 in 12.69. Noble was second in 12.71 and Chess was third in 12.87. Caffey was a picture of calmness after winning the title. She wasn`t exuberant over her upset victory.

Caffey had beaten the wind and the rest of the 100 field. She had surprised almost everyone at the meet. Someone asked Caffey if she had surprised herself. ``Yes, I did,`` she said.

Caffey said she was confident about her chances Saturday, but she didn`t feel that way in the semifinals Friday. She had pulled a hamstring in her freshman year, and the injury flares up occasionally. Unfortunately, Friday was one of those occasions.

``My legs were really hurting me bad,`` she said. ``Sometimes it acts up on me.``

But Caffey survived. She ran 12.5 in her semifinal heat to take second behind Noble, who ran 12.3.

Caffey has made a steady progression in her high school career. She was an alternate on Lyons` medley relay as a freshman. She placed seventh in the 100 as a sophomore and third as a junior. She was fourth in the 400 as a junior.

``My coaching is excellent,`` said Caffey, who had two sisters--Leona and Flora--run track at Lyons. ``I think I`m the best-coached runner. I`ve matured a lot. Freshman year it was just like, blah, I`m here, I`m running.``

Caffey knew what she would have to do to win as a senior. ``My main goal was trying to beat Noble,`` said Caffey. ``I just got her out of the blocks, I assume.``

Out of the blocks. The start. That`s where Caffey says she`s the best. She has worked long and hard on her starts and credits former Lyons coach Max Armer with helping her improve.

``He worked with me on my starts twice a week,`` said Caffey, who will attend Minnesota in the fall on a half scholarship. ``It helped a lot.``

Caffey comes from good stock. Her uncle, Jack, was also a state track champion at Lyons.

Track, though, isn`t Caffey`s only sport. She also plays basketball and volleyball.

Caffey said she`s going to major in physical education in college. Someday, she`d like to be a coach and help out a runner like herself--someone who isn`t supposed to win, and does.